Repeating attachment for talking machines



E. e. CLE MENTS. REPEATING ATTACHMENT FOR TALKING MACHINE SQ APPLICATION FILED FEB. 20,1915- 1,414,9 0,, Patented M3 2; 1922.

warren s'rares sir ethics.

REPEATING ATTACHMENT FOR- TALKING MACHINES.

Application filed February its object to provide means whereby such' machines can be started into operation with a single record and will repeat the reproduction of the matter on the record continuously without requiring the attention of an operator.' It furtherrela'tes to means" whereby the repeating apparatus may be adjusted to automatically return the needle from the point where it has completed the traversing of the record to the point of beginning, to accommodate records of various lengths or diameters. The object of mysaid invention is to produce such a mechanism which will not only be automatic in its action, but will be simple and inexpensive in construction and positive and reliable in its operation, all as will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed. j

Referring to the accompanying drawing which is made a part hereof and on which similar reference characters indicate similar parts,

Figure 1 is a to plan View of the rotary record bearing tab e, such as commonly em- 7 ployed on a machine of the type described,

with a record disk thereon, and also illustrating my attachment as it appears in position for use,

Figure 2 a transverse section on the dotted line 22 in Figure 1,

:Figure 3 a detail plan view on an en- I larged scale (practically full size) to illustrate more clearly the adjusting features of g when the needleis out of slot 11, and at the ermit said plate 10 to stand.

the invention, and I Figure 4.- an edge view of the attachment. In the said drawings the portions marked A represent the rotary table for carrying the records, B the record, C the needle carrying head, and 10 the plate constituting themain part of my improved attachment. All of these parts, with theexception' of the. attachment, are of any approved or wellknown construction and arrangement, and re uire no special description hereln.

he plate 10 is preferably round or disk- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 2, 1922.

20, 1915. Serial No. 9,753.

shaped and made of the same material as .the records, although other suitable mate-' rial may be substituted, and it may be formed in other shapes if so desired. A. radial slot 11 is formed in said plate, through which the needle 12 extends and travels during the operation of the machine. A member 13, preferably formed of metal and having an upturned edge 14:, is adjustably mounted over the edge of said slot and is adapted to form a rest for the needle during the operation of the machine, as best shown in Figure 2. Said member 13 is slidably or adj ustably mounted'on the edge of the plate at one side of the slot, and the slot 11 is formed 21..- shaped at its inner extremity, the inner end of the'mem'ber 13 being adapted to extend across the L of the slot to bring its inner end in proper relation to the point where the needle will leave the record, or finish its travel over-the record surface thereof. By

means of the adjustability of said member 13, it is adapted'to accommodate records of different sizes, or records the surfaces of which are of diii'erent widths. The plate or disk 10 is formed with a groove 15- in its upper surface, the entrance to which extends from the L-shaped inner ,end of the slot 11, and is of the same width as the widened part of said slot, but tapers back to a narrow groovev which extends helically around said plate 10 and in the upper-surface thereof to a point adjacent to theouter end of slot 11 which registers with the point of beginning in the record beneath. An aperture 17 is formed in the center of the plate 10, by which it is mounted on the table above'the disk B, and a ring of felt or similar material '18 'is interposed between the outer edge ofthe disk'B and said plate, serving to support said plate free from the upper surface of the disk and afford suflicient frictional contact between the two parts to cause the plate 10 to rotate with said disk same time, stations w lie the record revolves during the opera ion of the needle upon its record ing the travel of the needle from the outer edge of the disk to the lL.-shaped end'of slot ll-at its inner edge. lit will be understood that the bottom of groove 15, at the point where it joins with the L-shaped inner end of slot 11, tapers down to a thin edge to offer very slight resistance to the passing of the needle from the record onto the floor of said groove. It will also be noted that as soon as the needle passes beyond the inner'end of member 13, plate 10, by reason of its frictional contact with record B, will start moving with said record and that it is in motion under the same speed as the record when the needle meets the advancing thin edge of the floor of the groove 15, so that said needle is carried into said groove and is guided by the walls 16 of the wide mouth of said groove into the narrow portion thereof without af fording any substantial resistance to the motion'of said plate 10. The floor of the groove 15 at its outer end is likewise tapered downward to a thin edge so that the needle in passing from said plate onto the record beneath will neither injure the needle or the record. It will be understood, of course, that instead of the needle a separate member may be carried 'by the needle support to contact with member 13, leaving the needle entirely free from any contact except with the record.

In operation, the plate 10, being adjusted in position on the machine as illustrated in the drawings, and the member 13 being adjusted to suit the requirements of the pa-rticular record with which it is to be used, the machine is set in operation in the usual manner and the needle traveling along the edge of member 13 operates in the usual manner to reproduce the sounds which are recorded on the record. Said member 13 may be of metal or some special material, and so attached to the plate 10 as to engage said needle without causing any vibration or any deterioration in the character of the sounds produced by the machine. As soon as the needle reaches the inner end of member 13, the plate 10 starts to revolve with the record, and, as above de scribed, the needle then passes into groove 15 and is guided by said groove around to the point of beginning, where it again comes into contact with the record and again starts the operation. This continues repeatedly without any attention of an operator until the machine is stopped or its power is exhausted. Such an attachment is of especial value in the use of machines for dancing purposes,-tor repeating records in public places,

such as eating houses for the entertainment of guests, and Wherever it may be desired to have a record repeated. It is, also of decided neiaeeo advantage in that it avoids the necessity of watching the machine under any circumstances, for if the machine is not stopped when the record is finished, it will merely repeat without injury to the record or any other of the parts, such as results from the usual arrangement of these parts.

Having thus fully described my said invention, what it claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. The combination with a talking machine having a transportable reproducer head, of a member adapted to rotate in a plane parallel to the plane of the record to restore said head to a position to repeat the playing of the record, vibration transmission means carried by said head, said vibration transmission means being so positioned as to'extend into the path of travel of said member and adapted to prevent rotation thereof during the playing of the record.

2. The combination with a talking machine I having a transportable reproducer needle, of means adapted to be rotated in a plane parallel to the plane of the record for restoring said machine to a condition to repeat the playing of the record, said means being so constructed as to engage the reproducer needle and to thereby prevent ro-- 1 3. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of a member adapted to rotate in a plane parallel to the plane of the record, adjustable means carried by said member adapted to engage with the needle for reventing said member from rotating during the reproduction of the record, and means on said member, operable at the termination of each successive reproduction, for returning the needle for another reproduction, substantially as set forth.

4. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of a member adapted to rotate in a plane parallel to the plane of the record, and an adjustable ele ment mounted on the member and adapted to engage with the needle for preventing said member from rotating during the reproducing operation, said member being provided with means, operable'at the termination of each successive reproduction, for returning the needle to. initial position, substantially as set forth. 

